Do Alcoholic Women Want Women-Only Treatment?
It's complicated. In anarticleappearing in the June 29 edition of the journal Addiction, researchers ask women what they think about it:"Women ‐only addiction services tend to be provided on a poorly evidenced assumption that women want single‐sex treatment. We draw upon women's expectations and experiences of women‐only residential rehabilitation to stimulate debate on this issue."Full text availableHERE. (Source: Addiction Inbox)
Source: Addiction Inbox - May 8, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Study Says Shared Genetic Architecture Links Alcoholism to Major Mental Disorders
Depression, alcoholism, and other psychiatricillnesses share disease-related “signatures”involving a disruption in how brain cells communicate with each other.Thestudy, entitled “Shared molecular neuropathology across major psychiatric disorders parallels polygenic overlap,” by Michael J. Gandal et. al., appears inScience, February 9, 2018.A Washington Postarticle on the study says:“The scientists found similar levels of particular molecules in the brains of people with autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; other commonalities between bipolar and major depression; and other matches betw...
Source: Addiction Inbox - February 9, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
New Study Casts Doubt on Current " Despair " Models of Addiction
The recent Hari/Hart/Lewis hypothesis that addiction is not primarily metabolic or genetic, but rather the result of " despair " or " sociological conditions " or " flawed learning, " takes a major hit in a newreport appearing in The National Bureau of Economic Research. The study suggests that" changes in economic conditions account for less than one-tenth of the rise in drug and opioid-involved mortality rates. " Jason Schwartz atAddiction& Recovery News does a deep dive into the flawed thinking behind the new (old?) sociological views of addictionhere. (Source: Addiction Inbox)
Source: Addiction Inbox - January 22, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
New Study Casts Doubt on Current "Despair" Models of Addiction
The recent Hari/Hart/Lewis hypothesis that addiction is not primarily metabolic or genetic, but rather the result of "despair" or "sociological conditions" or "flawed learning," takes a major hit in a newreport appearing in The National Bureau of Economic Research. The study suggests that"changes in economic conditions account for less than one-tenth of the rise in drug and opioid-involved mortality rates." Jason Schwartz atAddiction& Recovery News does a deep dive into the flawed thinking behind the new (old?) sociological views of addictionhere. (Source: Addiction Inbox)
Source: Addiction Inbox - January 22, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Alcohol and Cancer, Explained
"Alcohol and endogenous aldehydes damage chromosomes and mutate stem cells"Juan I. Garaycoechea, Gerry P. Crossan, Fr édéric Langevin, Lee Mulderrig, Sandra Louzada, Fentang Yang, Guillaume Guilbaud, Naomi Park, Sophie Roerink, Serena Nik-Zainal, Michael R.Stratton& Ketan J. Patel Nature doi:10.1038/nature25154This pay-walled article, published in "Nature," presents fresh evidence that alcohol can damage chromosomes and cause mutations. If you don't have a zillion dollars to spare, The American Cancer Society has put together a layman's version of the subjecthere.Here's an explainer from Britai...
Source: Addiction Inbox - January 7, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Alcohol Should Be More Expensive
Without a doubt, the alcohol you're drinking this Holiday Season is too damn cheap.By all means check out the new piece by German Lopez at Vox:"The case for setting a minimum price on alcohol." (Source: Addiction Inbox)
Source: Addiction Inbox - December 26, 2017 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Corey Booker's Statement on Marijuana Legalization
Sen. Booker's petition would remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances. "For decades, the failed War on Drugs has locked up millions of nonviolent drug offenders, especially for marijuana-related offenses. This has wasted human potential, torn apart families and communities, and squandered massive sums of taxpayer dollars."That's why I introduced the Marijuana Justice Act on Tuesday to call for the legalization of marijuana at the federal level. Will you sign my petition and call on your senators to join me in moving this critical legislation forward?"If passed into law, this would have an immediate impa...
Source: Addiction Inbox - August 4, 2017 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Marijuana, Sleep, and Dreams
The indica vs. sativa debate, continued. [First published July 13, 2015.]Anyone who has smoked marijuana more than a couple of times knows that cannabis can alter how you sleep. The effect of cannabis on sleep is even part of the never-ending debate over Cannabis indica vs. Cannabis sativa, the two major species of the marijuana plant. Indica smokers typically report a marijuana high that is body-intensive and often soporific, sometimes leading to the condition aptly known as “couch lock.” Whereas sativa smokers, according to marijuana lore, experience a more cerebral, energetic “head high,” with fewer somatic...
Source: Addiction Inbox - April 10, 2017 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Heroin in Vietnam: The True Story of the Robins Study
Editor's note: The famous Robins study on heroin use among Vietnam veterans has been sooften —and so recently—misinterpreted that I felt motivated to reprint an older post on the subject.[Originally posted 7/24/10]In 1971, under the direction of Dr. Jerome Jaffe of the Special Action Office on Drug Abuse Prevention, Dr. Lee Robins of Washington University in St. Louis undertook an investigation of heroin use among young American servicemen in Vietnam. Nothing about addiction research would ever be quite the same after the Robins study. The results of the Robins investigation turned the official story of ...
Source: Addiction Inbox - March 25, 2017 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
The Manifesto for Children of Alcoholics
Parental heavy drinking affects everyone.The British House of Commons recently issued a manifesto timed to coincide with International Children of Alcoholics Week. The manifesto was co-written by children of alcoholics, policy analysts, and representatives from charities, medical groups, and other interest groups. The ten-point plan makes the following demands: —Take responsibility for children of alcoholics. —Create a national strategy for COAs &nb...
Source: Addiction Inbox - February 15, 2017 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Who Smokes Marijuana Where?
The full article is available here:http://www.bendsource.com/ (Source: Addiction Inbox)
Source: Addiction Inbox - January 12, 2017 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Don't Be a Holiday Fool
Sobering Up ––Myths and FactsMyth: You can drive as long as you are not slurring your words or acting erratically.Fact: The coordination needed for driving is compromised long before the signs of intoxication are visible and one ’s reaction time is slowed. Plus, the sedative effects of alcohol increase the risk of nodding off or losing attention behind the wheel.Myth: Drink coffee. Caffeine will sober you up.Fact: Caffeine may help with drowsiness, but not with the effects of alcohol on decision-making or coordination. The body needs time to metabolize (break down) alcohol and then to return to normal. Also, when caf...
Source: Addiction Inbox - December 30, 2016 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
